The downward trend of social media participation. That's probably a good thing among us and hope the Gruen spirit is still thriving among us.

I was hoping to draw from a virtual hat and exchange some cheer among us for the holiday. Jack is in so I'll use us as our example.

Here it goes.

We all go into the virtual hat and draw.

What do you know, I picked Jack! So I post a clue of what I would send as a token for the holiday.

____________________________________________________________ ________________________________________
Jack, you were a good boy!!! This is what's coming your way:

It is square, could it be Paris?
The case is either silver or stainless, however I know you like the white cased watches.
It needs work, although the case in pristine and the dial is very nice.
I suspect this is 1920-30's era piece.

Merry Christmas to you and yours from Gary
____________________________________________________________ ________________________________________

After Jack receives the holiday cheer, he posts a picture.

So far it looks like Jack and I might be the only ones to share some Gruen holiday cheer.

Honestly I was not really sure what you were suggesting be exchanged. As to your latest suggestion of a Pink Elephant I thought maybe you were getting into that legal agriculture product you folks in in west seem to be fond of. However after consulting a higher authority, Google, I see that it's a gift exchange where the tackier the better. I am uniquely qualified for that because I have some watches that will take divine intervention to save. At any rate count me in.

She missed the 816 train but it wasn't solely her fault.
Her closest buddy had gone missing and she became unhinged, unable to cope.
She wandered for days, gritting her teeth against the cold, searching....she is lost.
He had always been there for her, grounding her, and keeping her in line.
They were lost. They missed the train.

Is it too late to get in on this? If not Im in, but I dont have too much Gruen stuff.

Not too late, and new-comers are welcome... encouraged even.

Liz.... That was some clue.

Maybe there needs to be rules on value, and horologically related (or more stictly, Gruen related...or not). Beyond that, keep it simple.

As to the pink elephant... The caving club I belonged to for years, some people didn't get that the idea was 'some value'. Too often people would neatly wrap a small stack of 5 year New Yorker Magazines and think it was appropriate. Just citing an extreme end of that spectrum.

Gary, this is your puppy... I'll go with what ever.

All I know is based on hard work & writing by others. I can only aspire to augment this body of knowledge. If I am wrong it is because of my own failings. -me

"If I have seen farther it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." - Newton

OK folks...I believe there is too much variation from what to exchange, how to exchange and the oceans between us. This exchange is cancelled but I'm planning to send out cards to those I already have addresses for.

Aqualung, my friend, don't you start away uneasy You poor old sod, you see it's only me

Yes a real bummer. I'm not seeing much enthusiasm in the member base over the last year. I take blame on this as I too have gotten too busy to post or get into a Gruen mystery.

Here was my clue. I'm sure it would have been nice for most of us, even the ladies of the forum. This one has been sitting for over a year in my been drawer with all my other heads. Just needs hands and a crystal, case is pristine.

Gary that's a really nice watch. It would have been a nice watch to exchange as a gift but only to a select few. I would think there only about a half dozen members who could repair that watch into running condition. Sometimes I think it's easy for those that possess that ability to forget that most of us can't do anything with such a watch except put it in another drawer. So I would suggest to you that why should I be enthusiastic about another Gruen that needs repair when I have dozens already needing repair. Personally I would appreciate some postings on how to do some basic things like removing hands, cleaning the dial and case. I envy those that attend local meetings and actually learn something. I tried that and was disappointed to find that I was the only one there that had any interest in Wristwatches. They were all Clock and Pocket Watch people that had no interest in anything worn on the wrist and certainly not interested in anything with the name Gruen. So I guess what I am saying is if you want the membership to grow then some of you are going to have to find ways to educate the base so grow is possible.

I could put together a collection of odds and ends. Mostly post-1935 NOS parts and a few project watches. Due to the limited scope of my collecting, there's a very steep drop off from things I wouldn't let go, straight to odds and ends with very little in-between.

Mr monkee, I agree with what you wrote. Although I wouldn't mind a Gruen orne project watch 😉. Maybe the instructions should even be simpler. For example, how do I ensure that my watchmaker delivers what I expect.
Lesson 1: chances are that after replacing the dial or the glass, the watch is no longer running. Put at front on the repair ticket that the watch works. Continue to persevere until the problem is solved.
Lesson 2: if you do not want the broken glass to be replaced by plastic, say it. otherwise you will get plastic.
Lesson 3: if you say you want glass, specify this further. otherwise it may just be that the glass is sticking out.

Anyway, I have been quiet for a while. In the coming weeks I post some watches that need identifying. Drawer watch or not.

how to do some basic things like removing hands, cleaning the dial and case.

But there are lots of sources that explain this. Both videos and books. There is even the Gruen-centric booklet, the Horological Manual from 1947. Are you suggesting a section of "how-to-dos"? Does it matter if the dial/movement doesn't say Gruen?

All I know is based on hard work & writing by others. I can only aspire to augment this body of knowledge. If I am wrong it is because of my own failings. -me

"If I have seen farther it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." - Newton

Jack, I am not suggesting reinventing the wheel. However it's very obvious that you and a select group of others use some techniques that aren't going to be found in a 70 year old publication. One that comes to my mind is that you use a Silver Cleaner to give new life to at least some dials. I would love to see a video on that. I am not wanting to know how to repair a movement but I sure would like to learn how in Automotive terms to "Detail" a watch. Repairing a movement is likely not realistic for the average member but making their grandfathers watch look good again probably is an attainable goal.

So in re-thinking this exchange and the variations we all have, skills, distance, the goods, etc...A new thread will start in the Gruen Chit-Chat forum titled "Holiday Giveaway". Folks can post items for giveaway to the first takers via private message to the originator.

You can post clues if you wish to giveaway items that way. I might do a mystery item.

This doesn't have to be Gruen horological items but prefer it to be horological if possible.

Aqualung, my friend, don't you start away uneasy You poor old sod, you see it's only me